What's in a name? These three things:

I don’t think I’ve spoken about this too much, but Lord knows I sure give loads of advice about it in my consulting practice, so let’s get on the stick.

People often get stuck on naming their business right. The problem is, for some reason people have loads of personal vesting in the name of their company — they feel the name should somehow personally identify with themselves.

That by naming the business after yourself, it shows you have pride in what you do, and this is going to be communicated to your prospects. (Hint: If you hit them over the head with a sledge hammer, they could still care less about your company’s name.)

You know, the integrity you have, the pride of ownership you take when you put your name on something — all that mushy stuff.

But see, here’s why this doesn’t work. All that mushy stuff only matters to you, no one else.

Your prospect isn’t sitting there thinking, “Oh, since Craig named his company after himself, it means he’s got a great work ethic and loads of integrity.”

In fact, if the name of your company is something like, “Craig Garber and Associates,” you’re not even a blip on their radar screen because they have no idea what the hell you even do for a living.

And don’t think you endear yourself any more by calling your company “Craig Garber Real Estate Associates,” because this too, is vague and egotistical.

When you name your business, you want to think about three key things.

One, you want to tell your prospects what it is you’re doing for them.

So for instance, calling yourself “Tampa’s Favorite Home Roofing Company” pretty much removes any doubt about what it is you do, right?

Two, you want to give your prospects a benefit in your name.

To do this effectively, you’ve got to know what their biggest problems are, that you’re in the business of solving. So maybe it’s “No Hassle Luxury Automobile Buyers Of Tampa” for a firm that goes out and buys cars for you. Since people looking to buy luxury automobiles are most likely to be concerned about saving their time and avoiding hassles, this is a great example of what I’m talking about.

And lastly, you want to be thinking about bonding with your prospects. This is sometimes a combination of both of the above criteria, but it also has to do with the emotional component of what you’re selling.

So if you’re looking to have a party for one of your children, you’d feel very comfortable with “Safety First Children’s Party Planners.”

See, this deals with the big pink elephant in the room no one likes to talk about, but is ever-present.

So there you have it. Your name is definitely as important as the rest of your marketing…

Or not.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. 15 Free Gifts — watch ’em on the goofy video. This month, 12 live copywriting and marketing examples, including the unusually evasive “lift letter” – yours free when you try Seductive Selling at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

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